


Be Mine?

by coolangelsthesis



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Fluff, Gift Fic, Gift Giving, M/M, Valentine's Day Fluff, Valentine's Express 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 08:34:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5999101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolangelsthesis/pseuds/coolangelsthesis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If Aoba was planning something big, something big enough that he needed Theo’s help for whatever it may be, perhaps he should plan something big of his own. Plus, he felt guilty for not trusting Aoba enough, for jumping to conclusions and letting jealousy get the better of him. He wanted his gift to be an apology for not giving him enough credit.</p><p>The only questions that remained, then, were what, and how to avoid treading over whatever his boyfriend was planning. He knew his brother had probably planted a seed of thought, encouraging Aoba to go above and beyond anything he was planning to do. Aoba was gullible, but he wouldn’t become influenced that easily. Or so he hoped.</p><p>Noiz wasn’t sure what to do yet, but he would come up with something. Something perfect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be Mine?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ink_Completion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Completion/gifts).



> Happy Valentine's day! Reposting from tumblr for those who don't want to read 3,000+ on tumblr's website. I don't blame you. And again, happy Valentine's day, Ink!!

Something had been bothering Noiz for a couple of weeks now. He couldn’t entirely put it into words, but it felt like a heavy weight settled on his chest, bothersome and ever-present.

Aoba had been spending more time around Theo lately. A lot more time than usual, without even telling Noiz. Even more than that, when he stepped out of his office, the two of them were usually standing in the hallway, whispering excitedly to one another, and as soon as they noticed Noiz was near, they went quiet, looking in opposite directions like nothing happened. Whenever Noiz asked anything about brief encounters like those, Aoba avoided the question entirely.

Once when he brought it up, Aoba brushed it off by asking a question of his own.

“It’s nothing, really. Why are you so worried?” he asked while finishing up drying the last of the dishes from dinner. Suddenly his lips curled into a smirk. “Could it be that you’re jealous?”

“I am not jealous,” Noiz refuted, speaking far too quickly and far too hastily, taking the plate from Aoba’s hands and putting it away.

“Heeh, so you _are_ jealous.” He was wearing that grin again, that teasing one he had when he discovered something he could embarrass Noiz with. He set his hands on his hips and flashed that grin straight at Noiz.

“Am not,” He pouted, voice dropping into a defensive hiss. “It’s just… you two have been getting awfully close lately.”

“Noiz…” Aoba’s expression faded, reading in between his words to the deeper insecurity underneath. He closed his eyes and sighed.  “You don’t have any reason to be jealous. I haven’t… fallen for him, or whatever it is you’ve got going on in that head of yours. Mm, what was that you said before… _I want you. Only you_.”

He stood on the tips of his toes and kissed the center of Noiz’s forehead, then moved down to press another on his lips. “Alright?”

Flustered by having his own words, ones he had said years ago, thrown back at him, Noiz simply nodded in response. He returned Aoba’s kiss and let his worries go. For now.

But he still couldn’t drop the nagging feeling. While the words of reassurance should have comforted Noiz, they made him all the more suspicious. What was Aoba planning? Why did he need to go to Theo for it? _Did_ he have a reason to be jealous?

He kept a watchful eye out for any other interactions between Aoba and Theo, watched for anything that could give him some sort of clue as to what they were doing together. They had become more secretive, talking in private rather than places where Noiz could easily intrude.

It was only when he paid close attention to the date that two and two started to come together.

Valentine’s Day was only four days away.

That could have been why Aoba so evasive; he hadn’t even mentioned the day except in passing, nothing more than a word or two. Noiz had been too engrossed in fretting over what Aoba was doing with his brother— and admittedly, getting jealous— that he’d all but forgotten about the upcoming holiday. It had been in the back of his mind, but the new year had rushed past in the blink of an eye. He paid hardly any attention to the abundance of red and pink decorations scattered all throughout city shops or the lovey-dovey advertisements on television that warned him that Saint Valentine was looming around the corner, ready to strike.

In all actuality, he felt indifferent about the holiday more than anything. Valentine’s Day wasn’t that big of a deal for him; before Aoba, he didn’t have the fondest of memories, the disgust of finding chocolate tainted with hair or underwear still put him off of the stuff. (And Aoba never did make him any blood-laced chocolate like he’d asked for when he was cooped up in the hospital.)

More than that, he didn’t need to delegate a day to tell Aoba how much he loved him. Every day had the potential to be Valentine’s Day, no matter the rhyme or the reason. Why did he need a special day to give Aoba a bouquet of roses or a box of chocolates when he could do that any day of the year and share the same sentiment? Sure, in the last couple years together they had small celebrations together, either a romantic dinner cooked together or a passionate night intertwined together within their sheets. But…

If Aoba was planning something big, something big enough that he needed Theo’s help for whatever it may be, perhaps he should plan something big of his own. Plus, he felt guilty for not trusting Aoba enough, for jumping to conclusions and letting jealousy get the better of him. He wanted his gift to be an apology for not giving him enough credit.

The only questions that remained, then, were what, and how to avoid treading over whatever his boyfriend was planning. He knew his brother had probably planted a seed of thought, encouraging Aoba to go above and beyond anything he was planning to do. Aoba was gullible, but he wouldn’t become influenced that easily. Or so he hoped.

Noiz wasn’t sure what to do yet, but he would come up with something. Something perfect.

*

The days leading up to Valentine’s Day passed unceremoniously, the two of them dancing around the subject like the day never even existed. It wasn’t until the evening before that either of them had said something, when Noiz broke the silence by asking what they wanted to do tomorrow.

Aoba pursed his lips while in thought. “Hmm… what about something like dinner?”

“Where?” Noiz asked.

“Here, of course. Everywhere will be way too busy. Sounds like too much of a hassle.” He leaned forward and kissed Noiz’s cheek. “Is that alright?”

Even now, Aoba was unwilling to unveil any minor detail to what he had in store. He was so smooth about it, too, which surprised Noiz. Usually he couldn’t keep a secret for more than a couple days, or his lies were so transparent that Noiz could see the truth behind them. Perhaps Theo was helping him there, showing him how to perfect the art of lying. He must have been hiding something good, and wanted to keep it a surprise to the very end. So be it.

Noiz kissed Aoba on the lips in agreeance, deciding to play along.

“That’s fine.”

*

Their Valentine’s Day started off on a high note— almost resulting in Noiz being late for work. He’d lost track of time in the heat of passion, too busy indulging in Aoba to care. His moans loud and needy in Noiz’s ears drowned out the threat of responsibility. Aoba had to usher him out the door before he considered using one of his precious vacation days.

Work rushed past unceremoniously, the promise of going home and seeing Aoba once he was finished motivating him to work hard and diligently.

While scanning through a progress report, Noiz’s eyes flicked over to the side of his desk; sitting there was Aoba’s gift… or gifts. A large, plush rabbit with long, drooping ears sat upright, a box of gourmet chocolates and a bottle of fine cologne in its lap. And he still had to pick up the flowers.

He chuckled. Yeah, it was cheesy, ridiculously cheesy at that, but wasn’t that what Valentine’s was about? Leaning over in his chair, Noiz grabbed one of the long ears between his fingers and stroked it gingerly. The rabbit’s soft blue matched the color of Aoba’s hair, one of the reasons why he picked it out. Hopefully, Aoba would enjoy it. He hoped it was perfect enough.

A sudden rapping on his door pulled Noiz out of his thoughts. He heard a voice, kind and gentle, from the other side of the door:

“May I come in, brother?”

“Yeah. Come in, Theo.”

Smiling, Noiz pet the rabbit once more, then let his hand fall. His office door swung open, and his brother stepped inside.

Theo’s eyes landed directly on the large and all-too-obvious display on his brother’s desk.

“Ah, is that your gift to Aoba-san?” he asked, moving in closer to get a better view. When Noiz nodded, he grinned. “You surely are planning something big, aren’t you?”

“I could say the same for you,” Noiz replied, smirking knowingly up at his brother.

“E-Eh?”

“You’ve been planning something with Aoba, haven’t you?”

Theo’s expression changed dramatically, mouth slanting into a frown, cheeks reddening. “Well, uh, that’s…”

Just like Aoba, Theo was bad at covering up his lies. But unlike Aoba, he hadn’t come up with some sort of way to diffuse the question. Instead it lingered, with his eyes wide like a deer trapped in headlights.

Noiz let out a short sigh. “Alright, alright. You don’t have to tell me. Just don’t hurt yourself.”

His brother visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief as he let his shoulders drop. “Sorry, brother… I wasn’t expecting that. I guess you figured out a while ago, huh?”

A while ago was _maybe_ a bit of an overstatement. But Noiz nodded nonetheless.

“Has Aoba-san told you anything?” Theo asked, joy creeping back into his voice. “Has he asked for did anything in particular?”

“Not a thing. Whenever I ask he changes the subject entirely.”

“Really!?” Theo laughed in surprise. “Well, it’s better if you don’t know about it right now.”

Noiz frowned. Not knowing was starting to get annoying. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Haha, nothing! You’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?”

Theo turned back on his heel, back towards the office door. Before he left he turned around once more, grinning wide.

“And happy Valentine’s Day, brother.”

Noiz smiled back. “Yeah. You too, Theo.”

The door closed quietly behind him, and Noiz busied himself back in his work.

*

When working hours drew to a close, Noiz was already on his way out of his office. The only thing that kept him motivated through the day was knowing that he would be able to come home and celebrate Valentine’s day with Aoba.

And discover what he had been hiding in his sleeve. That was part of it, too.

On his way home, Noiz picked up the last of his gift— a bouquet of fifty red roses. He got the occasional stare from passersby due to the lavishness of the gifts in his arms, but he didn’t care whatsoever. They were for Aoba, and that was all that mattered.

Unlocking the front door when his hands were full was a more difficult challenge, however. He settled on leaving Aoba’s gift by their front door instead. That way, he could catch him by surprise when they shared gifts.

“I’m home,” he called out as he opened the front door. Distantly, he could hear the sound of Aoba fussing over something, making something perfect. He heard him gasp in surprise, then Aoba called back:

“Welcome home, Noiz! Just… w-wait there for a second! I’m not quite done yet.”

Noiz chuckled. “Alright, alright.”

A couple moments later, Aoba emerged from the hallway, breathless and struggling to finish up straightening himself out. He was wearing his nicest suit, the one that complimented the shape of his body perfectly. The one he wore on only the most special of occasions. His hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, pushed off the side of his shoulder.

Their eyes met, and Aoba smiled warmly.

“Welcome home,” he repeated, leaning on his toes to kiss Noiz’s cheek. “And happy Valentine’s day.”

“Happy Valentine’s day. You look nice,” Noiz said, winding his arms around Aoba, pulling him in for another, longer kiss. “What did you do today?”

“Made your gift.”

“Ahh, so do I finally get to know what you’ve been planning?”

“Hehe, was it really that obvious? Well…” Aoba clasped his hands in front of him, grinning. “It’s a three course meal! I made some of your favorite things.”

Saying Noiz was surprised was putting it lightly. As much as that sounded _wonderful,_ and as much as he would have enjoyed anything because Aoba was the one who made it, he couldn’t help but feel… shortsighted. Something didn’t feel quite right, like he wasn’t seeing the full picture.

Aoba blinked, frowning.

“What’s wrong?”

Noiz looked away with a sigh. “Sorry. It’s nothing.”

“Really? Then don’t give me that face, _hascha_! I worked hard on it, you know.”

He was right. Aoba went to the time and effort for _him_ , and the love and effort that went into cooking was enough.

“I know,” he said, offering an apologetic smile. “And thank you. Would you like your gift?”

“Y-You didn’t need to get me anything...” Aoba muttered, growing embarrassed. “But… s-sure.”

Noiz made a hand gesture telling him to wait; he stepped back outside the door and carried in his haul of gifts, precariously holding them in his arms so they wouldn’t spill.

And as soon as Aoba caught sight of it all, his cheeks went bright red.

“Whoa, Noiz,” he stammered, his blush continuing to deepen. “Why is there— why did you— I-Isn’t that a little… too much?”

Noiz shrugged. “If it’s for you, there’s no such thing as too much.”

“I-I… can’t believe you sometimes.”

Despite his protests, one by one Aoba received the gifts from Noiz’s arms—the roses, fifty in all, the chocolates, cologne, and the large plush rabbit all bundled in his arms.

He laughed softly as he stared at them in admiration. “Thank you, Noiz. Now my gift looks boring in comparison, huh…”

“Not at all.” Noiz reached out, tilted Aoba’s chin upwards to catch his lips in a kiss. “You took the time to make your gift. That’s worth more than anything.”

“…Mmm.” Aoba tore his gaze away, focusing instead on the stuffed rabbit. He was still clearly flustered and embarrassed and caught as a loss of words. But Noiz found it cute, adorably so.

He kissed Aoba again, this time on the cheek. “Dinner?”

“A… Ah, yeah!” Aoba sprung back to life, smiling. “Dinner! Take off your coat then come to the kitchen… I need a second to put these things down.”

Aoba hurried out of sight again, leaving Noiz to do as he was asked.

He followed after Aoba… and what unveiled before him caught him by surprise.

Their dining area was dimly lit by candlelight, warm and inviting and romantic, over the set table, ornately decorated with food laid out and ready. Noiz’s gifts were set down on an empty chair, the rabbit’s head just peeping over the surface of the table. Aoba was busy straightening rows of silverware when he noticed Noiz.

“So… what do you think?” he asked, gesturing to the variety of food laid out—pastas, breads, meat and cheese plates, sweets, everything and anything he could have possibly wanted.

“Romantic.” Noiz noted. He took a seat, then Aoba sat opposite of him. “Did you make all of this? It looks delicious.”

“Mhm. Most of it. Well then, let’s dig in!”

As they ate, Noiz started to pick up on something: Aoba kept looking up at him and back down, never keeping eye contact for more than a couple seconds. He ate slowly, seeming to only pick at his food rather than enjoying it.

All the telltale signs that Aoba was extremely nervous—but why? There had to be something more to this. There had to be.

At that same moment, Aoba glanced up towards Noiz. He must have noticed something wrong, as his face lined over with worry.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, glancing back and forth between the food and Noiz’s face, searching for what could be bothering him.

Noiz sighed softly. “Are you alright?”

“I’m… I’m fine!” A weak laugh, followed by Aoba casting his eyes away. “I’m just…”

He dipped into silence for a full minute, staring into the trembling light of the candle’s flame, thinking.

Suddenly he sprang back to life and lurched up from the table.

“I-I lied. There’s another part of your gift. It was g-going to wait until later but… I… I have something else to show you!”

Aoba took Noiz’s hand and led him through their living room, through the sliding door out to their balcony. The only light lighting up the dark area was the lights of the city down below, the soft golden hues shimmering like flakes of gold. He directed Noiz to the end of the balcony, where the metal railing was the only thing saving them from falling ten stories to the street below.

Aoba rested his elbows against it; Noiz followed suit and followed Aoba’s eye, staring down at the city below. From this perspective, the city looked like a sea of stars laid out just for them, reserved for only their eyes to see.

His boyfriend sighed softly and captured Noiz’s attention. A faint wind blew across his face, loosening strands from his ponytail to lick about his face.

Why was Aoba showing him this?

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Aoba asked, leaning in closer so their shoulders bumped. He smiled serenely. “The buildings here are so pretty… you’d never see anything quite like this in Midorijima.”

“Do you still miss it? Your home.” Noiz asked, winding an arm around him to pull him in closer.

“At times, yeah. But it’s more of a nostalgic thing now than anything else. _This_ is my home… here in Germany, here with you.”

Noiz’s chest tightened at that. He could still sense the apprehension in Aoba’s demeanor, but before he could ask what was wrong, he spoke again.

“These years I’ve spent with you have been some of the happiest. Five years ago I would have never thought I would be here, with that brat that fought me in Rhyme.” Aoba playfully narrowed his eyes, softening immediately. “But I can honestly say that all we went through was worth it, because I got to know you… the love of my life.”

“Aoba…” Noiz murmured, voice heavy. He never really saw this sentimental side of Aoba; he’d helped Aoba open up, but he was still quick to get shy or embarrassed when expressing his feelings verbally. He usually only ended up spilling the sappiest of lines right after a night of lovemaking, and was quick to forget what he’d said in the morning. Noiz was surprised, almost shocked, to hear him say such things without cowering away in humiliation.

He smiled awkwardly and tore his gaze away. There was the embarrassment kicking in. If they were in better lighting, he was sure Aoba’s face would be bright red.

“It… it can’t be helped! It’s the truth. I love you so much and I always want to be with you. I want to be there at your side for the rest of my life… you know? So that’s why…”

While giving him an apologetic look, Aoba slipped out of Noiz’s grasp to face him head-on. He pressed a button on his Coil and the balcony came to life, strings of lights illuminating the dark night, a bright blanket of light encasing them both. Noiz stared up in awe, the delicate golden lights strewn about with blue and green lights flickering to and fro. Aoba’s face shimmered in the glowing light, making his aura glow like an angel cast down from heaven. Noiz felt his pulse race by just looking at him.

Eyes met and they both laughed softly, both anticipating the next leading moments. Aoba drew in a deep breath and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small black box. He knelt down onto one knee, unveiling a golden ring— simple design, but elegant.

Noiz went numb with shock; at once, time had slowed down to a crawl. Was he dreaming?

Aoba grinned wider, tears glistening in his eyes, voice strained by the sudden force of tears.

“Will you marry me, Noiz?”

This was no dream. This was tangible and real, he felt the wind on his cheeks and the sting of pain from when he’d unconsciously bit down on his lip.

“ _Aoba_ …” he repeated again, utterly at a loss for words.

He always expressed himself better with actions than with words, so he decided to go on impulse… and hoisted Aoba up into his arms.

“Ah… haha! Wait, Noiz!” Aoba clung tightly onto Noiz’s shoulders to keep himself from falling, laughing, being careful the ring didn’t fall. He arched his neck downwards and their lips caught in a long kiss, filled with passion and joy and bliss, utter bliss.

Aoba parted first, touching their foreheads together, smiling wide. “So can I take this as a yes?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Noiz stole another kiss, then set Aoba down gently. He offered out his left hand, and Aoba slipped the ring into place.

He admired it in reverent silence, then looked around at the blinking rows of lights. “So this is what you were planning with Theo?”

“Ah… yeah. Sort of. When I first asked him if he would entrust you to me, he got really excited and started planning out everything.” Aoba laughed softly, following Noiz’s eye to the air around them. “I was going to go with something more over-the-top like Theo was planning, but… I think this shows more of my true feelings. Ah, by the way… happy Valentine’s day, Noiz.”

Aoba wrapped his hand around Noiz’s and lifted it upwards, kissing the golden band sitting perfectly on his twisted fingers. It felt like poetic justice, a symbol of unity placed over a reminder of how alone Noiz used to be.

Noiz closed his eyes, suddenly noticing something warm falling down the sides of his face. Tears, not from pain, but joy.

He was _so happy_. Nothing—no gift, no bouquet of roses, no fancy dinner— could have been any better than this.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments are always greatly appreciated if ya liked it!!


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